Adaptive content transmission

ABSTRACT

Techniques for adjusting the streaming of content by a media player device based on a user&#39;s location, orientation, or attention relative to the media player device are provided. Such techniques may include, while streaming media content to a media player device, modifying one or more characteristics of the streaming media content based on an indication of user attention levels. The indication of user attention levels may be determined by receiving a signal from a personal computing device associated with a user, and using such signal to determine an indication of the attention of the user to the media player device (e.g., based upon the user&#39;s proximity or orientation relative to the media player device). Modifying the characteristics of the streaming media may include adjusting the quality of the streaming media content to reduce data transfer when the user is not paying attention to the media player device.

FIELD OF THE DISCLOSURE

The present disclosure generally relates to techniques for adjusting thestreaming of content by a media player device based on a user'slocation, orientation, or attention relative to the media player device.

BACKGROUND

Users have come to expect a large variety of content that is immediatelyaccessible across any variety of devices by streaming or downloadingsuch content via a network connection. However, that content can beconsumed in a variety of ways, and the transmission of content to auser's devices may incur costs for the user or may reduce availablenetwork resources for transmitting other content to the same ordifferent users. As the quality of the content (which generallycorresponds to bitrate) increases, so too does the cost or resourceutilization of content delivery. Further, many users default to thehighest-quality content, even in situations where the content bitratecould be lowered without impacting a user's experience. Thus, many usersare unintentionally incurring unnecessary charges and detrimentallyimpacting network performance.

SUMMARY

Techniques for detecting a user's location, motion, and/or orientationrelative to a media player device and changing various aspects of acontent delivery stream accordingly are provided herein. Generally, thetechniques described herein involve determining whether high-bandwidthcontent is necessary for a user's enjoyment, given the location,orientation, and/or attention of the user. For instance, if the user'sactivities indicate that degraded content would likely not be noticed bythe user, then lower-bitrate content may be provided. The user'slocation, motion, and/or orientation relative to the content playbackdevice may be determined based on the location, motion and/ororientation of a personal computing device (such as a smart phone,tablet, smart watch, fitness tracker, smart headphones or other headset,laptop, etc.) associated with the user relative to the media playerdevice (such as another smart phone or tablet, a smart speaker ordigital assistant device, a TV, a computer, a monitor, etc.). Thebitrate, content source, version of content, and the like may beadjusted to account for the user's interaction with the content. Thismay reduce the costs (to both the user and to the provider) of contentdelivery to the user, while maintaining the user's experience andfreeing network resources for use by other users.

As one example, when a user is watching a movie streamed to the user'stelevision, if the user turns away from the television (e.g., changesorientation) or moves to another room in which the television is notvisible (e.g., changes location), then the system may determine thatvideo outputted by the television cannot be seen by the user. In such acase, audio content may be streamed while video content is not, or videocontent may be transitioned to a lower-quality stream. When the systemdetermines that the user is approaching the television or is payingattention to the television, video streaming may be re-enabled, and/ortransitioned to a higher-quality stream.

As another example, audio quality may be degraded as a listener movesfurther from a streaming audio source. This degradation may not beperceptible to the user as the distance between the audio source and theuser lowers the perceived “maximum fidelity” of the audio. Again, thismay result in a savings (to both the user and to the provider) intransmission cost and reduces network congestion.

Moreover, as another example, the quality or bitrate of the stream froma media player device may be adjusted based on the user's use of his orher personal computing device. For instance, a user who is activelybrowsing the internet or working on a document via his or her personalcomputing device while a movie or TV show is streamed by a media playerdevice may not be paying full attention to the content streaming via themedia player device, and thus, the bitrate (or otherwise quality) of thecontent streaming via the media player device may be lowered.

As yet another example, the system may determine a maximum resolution atwhich a media player device can output content, whether audible orvisual. Bandwidth dedicated to content transmission may be downshiftedand lower-quality content transmitted to match the maximum outputresolution, even if the content stream requested has a higher bandwidth.This may be useful, for example, when a user begins enjoying content ona first, high-resolution media player device but switches the contentstream to a second, low-resolution media player device.

Adjusting streaming based on a user's activities may also be used toprovide features for “rewinding” the content to where it was when theuser returns from having been inattentive, not physically present, orfacing away from the content for any period of time, or for pausing thecontent while the user is inattentive, not physically present, or facingaway from the content. If content is paused or rewound, the playbackspeed can be accelerated to allow the user to catch up to real time(e.g., when the user is watching live content, such as a sportingevent).

In an aspect, a method is provided, the method comprising: streamingmedia content by a media player device; receiving, by the media playerdevice, a signal from a personal computing device associated with auser; determining, by the media player device, an indication of theattention of the user to the media player device based on the signalfrom the personal computing device associated with the user; andmodifying, by the media player device, one or more characteristics ofthe streaming of the media content based on the indication of theattention of the user associated with the personal computing device.

In another aspect, a media player device is provided, the media playerdevice comprising: one or more of an audio output or a video output; oneor more processors; and a non-transitory program memory communicativelycoupled to the one or more processors and storing executableinstructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, causethe processors to: stream media content via one or more of the audiooutput or the video output; receive a signal from a personal computingdevice associated with a user; determine an indication of the attentionof the user to the media player device based on the signal from thepersonal computing device associated with the user; and modify one ormore characteristics of the streaming of the media content based on theindication of the attention of the user associated with the personalcomputing device.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The figures described below depict various aspects of the systems andmethods disclosed herein. Advantages will become more apparent to thoseskilled in the art from the following description of the embodimentswhich have been shown and described by way of illustration. As will berealized, the present embodiments may be capable of other and differentembodiments, and their details are capable of modification in variousrespects. Accordingly, the drawings and description are to be regardedas illustrative in nature and not as restrictive. Further, whereverpossible, the following description refers to the reference numeralsincluded in the following figures, in which features depicted inmultiple figures are designated with consistent reference numerals.

FIG. 1 illustrates block diagram of an example system for adjusting thestreaming of content by a media player device based on a user'slocation, orientation, and/or attention relative to the media playerdevice, in accordance with some embodiments.

FIGS. 2A-2C illustrate several examples of various users' locations,orientations, and/or attentions relative to a media player device, inaccordance with some embodiments.

FIG. 3 illustrates a flow diagram of an example method for adjusting thestreaming of content by a media player device based on a user'slocation, orientation, and/or attention relative to the media playerdevice, in accordance with some embodiments.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

FIG. 1 illustrates block diagram of an example system 100 for adjustingthe streaming of content by a media player device based on a user'slocation, orientation, or attention relative to the media player device,in accordance with some embodiments. The high-level architectureillustrated in FIG. 1 may include both hardware and softwareapplications, as well as various data communications channels forcommunicating data between the various hardware and software components,as is described below.

The system 100 may include a personal computing device 102, and a mediaplayer device 104 configured to stream media content from a mediacontent server 106, e.g., via a network 108. The personal computingdevice 102 and the media player device 104 may be configured tocommunicate with one another e.g., via short-range communicationinterfaces 110, 112 associated with the personal computing device 102and the media player device 104, respectively, and/or via the network108.

Generally speaking, the personal computing device 102 may be e.g., asmart phone, a tablet, a laptop computer, a smart watch, a fitnesstracker, a smart headset or smart headphones, etc., associated with aparticular user. In some examples, the system 100 may include multiplesuch personal computing devices 102. The (or each) personal computingdevice 102 may include a short-range communication interface 110,sensors 113, and/or a user interface 114. Furthermore, the personalcomputing device 102 may include one or more processors 116 and a memory118 (e.g., volatile memory, non-volatile memory) accessible by the oneor more processors 116 (e.g., via a memory controller).

The short-range communication interface 110 of the personal computingdevice 102 may include transmitters, receivers, transceivers, etc., andmay be configured to send and/or receive short-range wirelesscommunication signals (e.g., Bluetooth® signals, Zigbee® signals,infrared signals, etc.) to and from the short-range communicationinterface 112 of the media player device 104. The sensors 113 mayinclude motion sensors such as gyroscopes, accelerometers, and/or GPSsensors configured to detect the motion, orientation, direction,location, etc. of the personal computing device 102. Additionally, insome examples, the sensors 113 may include orientation sensors, such asa compass configured to determine a direction in which that the personalcomputing device 102 is facing, pointing, and/or traveling. The userinterface 114 may be configured to present information, such as variousalerts or notifications, to the user of the personal computing device102. Furthermore, in some examples, the user interface 114 may beconfigured to receive inputs and/or selections from the user of thepersonal computing device 102.

The one or more processors 116 may interact with the memory 118 toobtain, for example, computer-readable instructions stored in the memory118. The computer-readable instructions stored in the memory 118 maycause the one or more processors 116 to execute one or moreapplications, some of which may involve receiving user input via theuser interface 114. Additionally, the computer-readable instructionsstored in the memory 118 may cause the one or more processors 116 tosend signals, e.g., via the short-range communication interface 110, tothe media player device 104. In some examples, these signals may beperiodic “beacon” signals. Moreover, in some examples, these signals mayinclude indications of data captured by the sensors 113 indicating themotion, orientation, direction, location, etc. of the personal computingdevice 102. Furthermore, in some examples, these signals may includeindications of the user's use of the personal computing device 102,e.g., including indications of the timing or frequency of inputs and/orselections received by the user interface 114, and indications of anyapplications currently in use by the user of the personal computingdevice. Additionally, in some examples, the computer-readableinstructions stored in the memory 118 may cause the one or moreprocessors 116 to analyze data captured by the sensors 113 andindications of the user's use of the personal computing device 102 todetermine an indication of the user's attention to the media playerdevice 104, and send signals to the media player device 104 indicatingthe determined indication of the user's attention to the media playerdevice. Furthermore, the computer-readable instructions stored on thememory 118 may include instructions for carrying out any of the steps ofthe method 300, described in greater detail below with respect to FIG.3.

Generally speaking, the media player device 104 may be a TV and/or a settop box associated with a TV, a digital assistant device, a smartspeaker, a smart phone or tablet, a computer or monitor, and/or anyother device suitable for streaming media content, such as audiocontent, visual content, or combined audio and visual content. The mediaplayer device 104 may include a short-range communication interface 112,sensors 120, and/or a user interface 122. Furthermore, the media playerdevice 104 may include one or more processors 124 and a memory 126(e.g., volatile memory, non-volatile memory) accessible by the one ormore processors 124 (e.g., via a memory controller).

The short-range communication interface 112 of the media player device104 may include transmitters, receivers, transceivers, etc., and may beconfigured to send and/or receive short-range wireless communicationsignals (e.g., Bluetooth® signals, Zigbee® signals, infrared signals,etc.) to and from the short-range communication interface 110 of thepersonal computing device 102. The sensors 120 may include motionsensors such as gyroscopes, accelerometers, and/or GPS sensorsconfigured to detect the motion, orientation, direction, location, etc.of the media player device 104. Furthermore, in some examples, thesensors 120 may include motion sensors configured to detect the motionof people (e.g., a user associated with the personal computing device102) or objects near the media player device 104. For instance, thesemotion sensors may include an infrared camera configured to detect whenindividuals move toward or away from the media player device 104, and/ora camera configured to detect whether an individual near the mediaplayer device 104 is facing the media player device 104 or whether theindividual's back is turned with respect to the media player device 104.Additionally, in some examples, the sensors 120 may include orientationsensors, such as a compass configured to determine a direction in whichthe media player device 104 is facing, pointing, and/or moving. The userinterface 122 may be configured to present media content (e.g., via adisplay screen, via a speaker, or via any other audio and/or visualoutput), and/or present information, such as various alerts ornotifications. Furthermore, in some examples, the user interface 122 maybe configured to receive inputs and/or selections from a user of themedia player device 104.

The one or more processors 124 may interact with the memory 126 toobtain, for example, computer-readable instructions stored in the memory126. The computer-readable instructions stored in the memory 126 maycause the one or more processors 124 to execute a media playerapplication 128. Executing the media player application 128 may includereceiving media content from the media content server 106, streaming themedia content (e.g., via the user interface 122), receiving a signalfrom the personal computing device 102, determining an indication of theattention of the user of the personal computing device 102 to the mediaplayer device 104 based on the signal (or receiving an indication of theattention of the user of the personal computing device 102 to the mediaplayer device 104 via the signal), and/or modifying one or morecharacteristics of the streaming of the media content based on theindication of the attention of the user of the personal computing device102. Furthermore, the computer-readable instructions stored on thememory 126 may include instructions for carrying out any of the steps ofthe method 300, described in greater detail below with respect to FIG.3.

The media content server 106 may include one or more processors 130 anda memory 132 (e.g., volatile memory, non-volatile memory) accessible bythe one or more processors 130 (e.g., via a memory controller). The oneor more processors 130 may interact with each memory 132 to obtain, forexample, computer-readable instructions stored in the memory 132. Thecomputer-readable instructions stored in the memory 132 may cause theone or more processors 130 to access media content stored on the memory132 and/or media content stored in a media content database 134 and sendthe media content to the media player device 104 for streaming. Inparticular, the computer-readable instructions stored on the memory 132may include instructions for carrying out any of the steps of method300, described in greater detail below with respect to FIG. 3. The mediacontent database 134 may be accessed by or incorporated within the mediacontent server 106, in various embodiments.

FIGS. 2A-2C illustrate several examples of various users' locations,orientations, and/or attentions relative to a media player device, inaccordance with some embodiments. FIG. 2A illustrates a user 202 of apersonal computing device 102 located behind a display screen 204 of amedia player device 104. Because the user 202 is located behind thedisplay screen 204 of the media player device 104, the user 202 isunlikely to be paying full attention to any media content being streamedby the media player device 104.

FIG. 2B illustrates a user 204 who is located in front of the displayscreen 204 of the media player device 104 but oriented away from thedisplay screen 204 of the media player device 104. Although the user 204is located in front of the display screen 204 of the media player device104, the user 204 is unlikely to be paying full attention to any mediacontent being streamed by the media player device 104 because her faceand body are oriented away from the display screen 204 of the mediaplayer device 104.

FIG. 2C illustrates a user 206 of a personal computing device 102 who isoriented toward the display screen 204 of the media player device 104,but who is actively engaging with applications of his personal computingdevice 102 (e.g., working on a document or browsing the internet).Although the user 206 is located in front of the display screen 204 ofthe media player device 104 and oriented toward the display screen 204of the media player device 104, the user 206 is unlikely to be payingfull attention to any media content being streamed by the media playerdevice 104 because he is actively working on a document or browsing theinternet via his personal computing device 102.

FIG. 3 illustrates a flow diagram of an example method 300 for adjustingthe streaming of content by a media player device based on a user'slocation, orientation, or attention relative to the media player device,in accordance with some embodiments. One or more steps of the method 300may be implemented as a set of instructions stored on acomputer-readable memory (e.g., memories, 118, 126, or 132) andexecutable on one or more processors (e.g., processors 116, 124, or130).

At block 302, media content may be streamed by a media player device.For instance, the media content may include audio content and/or videocontent, such as a music stream, a podcast stream, a television stream,a movie stream, etc.

At block 304, a signal may be received from a personal computing deviceassociated with a user. For instance, in some examples, the media playerdevice may receive the signal directly from the personal computingdevice via a short-range wireless communication signal, such as e.g., aBluetooth® signal, a Zigbee® signal, an infrared signal, etc. Moreover,in some examples, the media player device may receive the signal fromthe personal computing device via a wireless network (e.g., a WiFinetwork).

At block 306, a determination of an indication of the attention of theuser to a media player device may be made based on the signal from thepersonal computing device associated with the user. In some examples,the processing of determining the indication of the attention of theuser to the media player device may be done by a processor of thepersonal computing device, and the result of the determination may becommunicated via the signal. In other examples, the processing ofdetermining the indication of the attention of the user to the mediaplayer device may be done by a processor of the media player devicebased on information communicated via the signal.

In some examples, determining the indication of the attention of theuser to the media player device based on the signal from the personalcomputing device associated with the user may include determining adistance between the personal computing device and the media playerdevice based on the signal from the personal computing device (e.g.,based on the strength of the signal), and determining the indication ofthe attention of the user to the media player device based at least inpart on the distance between the personal computing device and the mediaplayer device. For example, when the personal computing device isfurther from the media player device, the user may be further from themedia player device, indicating that the user may be paying lessattention to the media player device, and when the personal computingdevice is close to the media player device, the user may be closer tothe media player device, indicating that the user may be paying moreattention to the media player device.

In some examples, determining the indication of the attention of theuser to the media player device based on the distance between thepersonal computing device and the media player device may includedetermining whether the distance between the personal computing deviceand the media player device exceeds a threshold distance. For instance,when the distance between the personal computing device and the mediaplayer device exceeds the threshold distance, the user may be unlikelyto be paying attention to the media player device, but when the distancebetween the personal computing device and the media player device doesnot exceed the threshold distance, the user may be likely to be payingattention to the media player device. In some examples, there may bemultiple such threshold distances—for instance, when the distancebetween the personal computing device and the media player deviceexceeds a first threshold distance, the user of the personal computingdevice may be unlikely to be in the same residence or area as the mediaplayer device and thus may be extremely unlikely to be paying attentionto the media player device. When the distance between the personalcomputing device and the media player device exceeds a second thresholddistance but not the first threshold distance, the user of the personalcomputing device may be unlikely to be in the same room as the mediaplayer device, and may be more likely to not be paying attention to themedia player device, or to be paying partial attention to the mediaplayer device (e.g., listening but not watching, listening andoccasionally watching but not continuously watching, etc.). When thedistance between the personal computing device and the media playerdevice does not exceed the second threshold distance, the user of thepersonal computing device may likely be the same room as the mediaplayer device, and thus may be more likely to be paying full attentionto the media player device (e.g., listening and watching, listeningclosely, watching closely, etc.).

In some examples, determining the indication of the attention of theuser to the media player device based on the signal from the personalcomputing device associated with the user may include determining alocation of the personal computing device with respect to the mediaplayer device based on the signal from the personal computing device(e.g., based on GPS or other coordinates communicated via the signal,based on the direction from which the signal is received and/or thestrength of the signal, etc.), and determining the indication of theattention of the user to the media player device based at least in parton the location of the personal computing device with respect to themedia player device.

For instance, in some examples, determining the location of the personalcomputing device may include determining an extent to which the personalcomputing device is in front of a display portion (e.g., a screen) ofthe media player device, behind the display portion of the media playerdevice, or adjacent to the display portion of the media player device.For example, if the personal computing device is located in front of thedisplay portion of the media player device (e.g., as shown in FIGS. 2Band 2C), the user of the personal computing device may be more likely tobe paying full attention to the media player device. In contrast, if thepersonal computing device is located adjacent to the display portion ofthe media player device, the user of the personal computing device maybe more likely to be paying only partial attention to the media playerdevice, and if the personal computing device is located behind thedisplay portion of the media player device (e.g., as shown in FIG. 2A),the user of the personal computing device may be unlikely to be payingattention to the media player device.

Moreover, in some examples, determining the location of the personalcomputing device may include determining an extent to which the personalcomputing device is above or below the media player device. If thepersonal computing device is at the same level as the media playerdevice, or within a threshold elevation below or above the media playerdevice, the user of the personal computing device may be more likely tobe at the same level of a home or other building as the media playerdevice, and thus may be more likely to be paying attention to the mediaplayer device. In contrast, if the personal computing device is moresignificantly above or below the media player device (e.g., outside of athreshold elevation below or above the media player device), the user ofthe personal computing device may be more likely to be at a differentlevel of a home or other building as the media player device (e.g., in abasement or upstairs of a home where the media player device is locatedon the main level, in a different level of an apartment building, etc.),and may be less likely to be paying attention to the media playerdevice. Additionally, in some examples, determining the location of thepersonal computing device may include determining whether the personalcomputing device is in the same room as the media player device. In someexamples, this may be detected based on interference with the signal(e.g., due to walls). When the personal computing device is not withinthe same room as the media player device, the user of the personalcomputing device may be unlikely to be paying attention to the mediaplayer device, while when the personal computing device is in the sameroom as the media player device, the user of the personal computingdevice may be more likely to be paying attention to the media playerdevice.

Furthermore, in some examples, determining the indication of theattention of the user to the media player device based on the signalfrom the personal computing device associated with the user may includedetermining an orientation of the personal computing device with respectto the media player device based on the signal from the personalcomputing device, and determining the indication of the attention of theuser to the media player device based at least in part on theorientation of the personal computing device with respect to the mediaplayer device. For instance, in some examples, an indication of theorientation of the personal computing device may be determined by themedia player device based at least in part on the signal received fromthe personal computing device (e.g., based on signal strength,direction, etc.). Furthermore, in some examples, an indication of theorientation of the personal computing device may be determined by thepersonal computing device, e.g., based on sensors, such asaccelerometers, gyroscopes, compasses, etc. of the personal computingdevice, and this determined indication of the orientation of thepersonal computing device may be communicated to the media player devicevia the signal from the personal computing device. Additionally, in someexample, an indication of the orientation of the personal computingdevice and an indication of the orientation of the media player devicemay both be determined and compared to one another to determine anorientation of the personal computing device with respect to the mediaplayer device. In some examples, the orientation of the personalcomputing device may indicate a certain orientation of the head or bodyof the user. For instance, when the personal computing device is a setof headphones or a headset, the orientation of the headphones or headsetmay indicate the orientation of the user's head, i.e., indicating adirection that the user's head is facing. Similarly, when the personalcomputing device is a smart watch or fitness tracker, the orientation ofsmart watch or fitness tracker may indicate the direction that theuser's arms or body are facing. As another example, when the personalcomputing device is a smart phone, tablet, or laptop, an orientation ofthe screen may indicate a direction that the user is facing. That is,the screen of a smart phone, tablet, or laptop is likely to be oppositea user's face so that the user can view information displayed via thescreen. When the head and/or body of the user of the personal computingdevice is oriented toward the media player device (or toward a displayportion of the media player device, such as a screen), e.g., as shown inFIG. 2C, the user may be more likely to be paying attention to the mediaplayer device. When the head and/or body of the personal computingdevice is oriented partially away from the media player device (orpartially away from the display portion of the media player device),e.g., as shown in FIG. 2B, the user may be paying only partial attentionto the media player device. Moreover, when the head and/or body of theuser of the personal computing device is oriented away from the mediaplayer device, the user may not be paying attention to the media playerdevice.

Additionally, in some examples, determining the indication of theattention of the user to the media player device based on the signalfrom the personal computing device associated with the user may includedetermining an indication of the user's engagement with one or moreapplications of the personal computing device, and determining theindication of the attention of the user to the media player device basedon the user's engagement with the one or more applications of thepersonal computing device. For instance, if a user is actively using oneor more applications of the personal computing device (e.g., working ona document, playing a game, browsing the internet, using a social mediaapplication, watching or listening to content via the personal computingdevice, placing a phone call or sending text messages using the personalcomputing device, etc.), as shown in FIG. 2C, the user may not be payingattention, or may be only paying partial attention to the media playerdevice. In contrast, if the user is not actively using any applicationsof the personal computing device, the user may be paying attention tothe media player device (i.e., rather than the personal computingdevice).

Furthermore, in some examples, determining the indication of theattention of the user to the media player device may be based on themotion of the personal computing device with respect to the media playerdevice, i.e., as detected by motion sensors of the the personalcomputing device itself or by motion sensors of the media player device.For instance, when the detected motion of the personal computing deviceindicates that the personal computing device is moving toward the mediaplayer device (or turning toward the media player device), the user maybe likely to be paying attention to the media player device, while whenthe detected motion of the personal computing device indicates that thepersonal computing device is moving away from the media player device(or turning toward the media player device), the user may be unlikely tobe paying attention to the media player device.

In some examples, determining the indication of the attention of theuser to the media player device may be based on a combination of themethods discussed above. Moreover, in some examples, determining theindication of the attention of the user to the media player device maybe based on weighting the methods discussed above. For instance, in someexamples, the distance of the personal computing device with respect tothe media player device may be weighted more heavily than theorientation of the personal computing device with respect to the mediaplayer device or the user's engagement with applications of the personalcomputing device (i.e., because when the user of the personal computingdevice is far away from the media player device, they are unlikely to bepaying attention to the media player device even when oriented towardthe media player device and/or not actively using any applications ofthe personal computing device).

Additionally, in some examples, indications that the user is unlikely tobe paying attention to the media player device may be weighted moreheavily than indications that the user is likely to be paying attentionto the media player device. For instance, as shown in FIG. 2B, althoughthe user is located in front of the media player device (i.e.,indicating that the user is likely paying attention to the media playerdevice), the user is also orientated away from the media player device(i.e., indicating that the user is unlikely to be paying attention tothe media player device). Accordingly, in some examples, the indicationthat the user shown in FIG. 2B is unlikely to be paying attention to themedia player device may be weighted more heavily than the indicationthat the user is likely to be paying attention to the media playerdevice, and the user shown in FIG. 2B may be considered not to be payingattention to the media player device (or not to be paying full attentionto the media player device). Similarly, as shown in FIG. 2C, althoughthe user is located in front of the media player device (i.e.,indicating that the user is likely paying attention to the media playerdevice), and is oriented toward the media player device (i.e.,indicating that the user is likely paying attention to the media playerdevice), the user is also actively engaged in applications of hispersonal computing device (i.e., indicating that the user is unlikely tobe paying attention to the media player device). Accordingly, in someexamples, the indication that the user shown in FIG. 2C is unlikely tobe paying attention to the media player device may be weighted moreheavily than the indications that the user is likely to be payingattention to the media player device, and the user shown in FIG. 2C maybe considered not to be paying attention to the media player device (ornot to be paying full attention to the media player device).

Furthermore, when there are multiple personal computing devices (e.g.,multiple devices associated with multiple users) sending such signals tothe media player device, determining the indication of the attention ofthe user(s) to the media player device may be based on weighting anyusers determined to be likely to be paying attention to the media playerdevice over any users determined to be less likely to be payingattention to the media player device. That is, if even one user islikely to be paying attention to the media player device (even if otherusers are not likely to be paying attention to the media player device),the method 300 may proceed based on the user who is likely to be payingattention to the media player device. However, if no users are likely tobe paying attention to the media player device, the method 300 mayproceed based on the fact that users are not paying attention to themedia player device.

At block 308, one or more characteristics of the streaming of the mediacontent by the media player device may be modified based on theindication of the attention of the user associated with the personalcomputing device. For instance, in some examples, modifying the one ormore characteristics of the streaming of the media content may includemodifying the quality (e.g., bitrate, bandwidth, frequency range,refresh period, fidelity, resolution, chromatic properties, etc.) ofaudio and/or visual components of the media content. For example, thequality of the media content may be reduced or downgraded based on anindication that the user is less likely to be paying attention to themedia player device, or may be increased or upgraded based on anindication that the user is more likely to be paying attention to themedia player device.

Additionally, in some examples, modifying the one or morecharacteristics of the streaming of the media content may includeswitching from a combined audio and video stream to an audio-only streambased on the indication of the attention of the user associated with thepersonal computing device. For example, when the user is less likely tobe paying attention to the media player device, the media content may beswitched to an audio-only stream, while if the user is more likely to bepaying attention to the media player device, the media content may beswitched to a combination audio/visual stream.

Furthermore, in some examples, modifying the one or more characteristicsof the streaming of the media content may include pausing the streamingof the media content based on the indication of the attention of theuser associated with the personal computing device. For instance, whenthe user is less likely to be paying attention to the media playerdevice, the media content may be paused, while if the user is morelikely to be paying attention to the media player device the mediacontent may be played. Similarly, in some examples, if the user isdetermined to likely be paying less attention to the media player deviceat a first time, but then is determined to likely be paying moreattention to the media player device at a second time, the media contentmay be “rewound” to a point in the stream that was playing at the firsttime (i.e., when the user stopped paying full attention to the mediaplayer device).

In some examples, the method 300 may include sending a request forconfirmation that the characteristics of the stream of the media contentcan be modified to the personal computing device, and/or receiving aconfirmation that the characteristics of the stream of the media contentcan be modified from the personal computing device, or sending anindication that the characteristics of the media content may be modifiedto the personal computing device. For instance, based on such a requestfor confirmation, the personal computing device may display anotification via a user interface display of the personal computingdevice, and/or may receive an indication of confirmation from the uservia the user interface display of the personal computing device.

Although the preceding text sets forth a detailed description ofnumerous different embodiments, it should be understood that the legalscope of the invention is defined by the words of the claims set forthat the end of this patent. The detailed description is to be construedas exemplary only and does not describe every possible embodiment, asdescribing every possible embodiment would be impractical, if notimpossible. One could implement numerous alternate embodiments, usingeither current technology or technology developed after the filing dateof this patent, which would still fall within the scope of the claims.

It should also be understood that, unless a term is expressly defined inthis patent using the sentence “As used herein, the term ‘_(——————)’ ishereby defined to mean . . . ” or a similar sentence, there is no intentto limit the meaning of that term, either expressly or by implication,beyond its plain or ordinary meaning, and such term should not beinterpreted to be limited in scope based on any statement made in anysection of this patent (other than the language of the claims). To theextent that any term recited in the claims at the end of this patent isreferred to in this patent in a manner consistent with a single meaning,that is done for sake of clarity only so as to not confuse the reader,and it is not intended that such claim term be limited, by implicationor otherwise, to that single meaning.

Throughout this specification, unless indicated otherwise, pluralinstances may implement components, operations, or structures describedas a single instance. Although individual operations of one or moremethods are illustrated and described as separate operations, one ormore of the individual operations may be performed concurrently, andnothing requires that the operations be performed in the orderillustrated. Structures and functionality presented as separatecomponents in example configurations may likewise be implemented as acombined structure or component. Similarly, structures and functionalitypresented as a single component may be implemented as separatecomponents. These and other variations, modifications, additions, andimprovements fall within the scope of the subject matter herein.

Additionally, certain embodiments are described herein as includinglogic or a number of routines, subroutines, applications, orinstructions. These may constitute either software (code embodied on anon-transitory, tangible machine-readable medium) or hardware. Inhardware, the routines, etc., are tangible units capable of performingcertain operations and may be configured or arranged in a certainmanner. In example embodiments, one or more computer systems (e.g., astandalone, client or server computer system) or one or more hardwaremodules of a computer system (e.g., a processor or a group ofprocessors) may be configured by software (e.g., an application orapplication portion) as a hardware module that operates to performcertain operations as described herein.

In various embodiments, a hardware module may be implementedmechanically or electronically. For example, a hardware module maycomprise dedicated circuitry or logic that is permanently configured(e.g., as a special-purpose processor, such as a field programmable gatearray (FPGA) or an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC)) toperform certain operations. A hardware module may also compriseprogrammable logic or circuitry (e.g., as encompassed within ageneral-purpose processor or other programmable processor) that istemporarily configured by software to perform certain operations. Itwill be appreciated that the decision to implement a hardware modulemechanically, in dedicated and permanently configured circuitry, or intemporarily configured circuitry (e.g., configured by software) may bedriven by cost and time considerations.

Hardware modules can provide information to, and receive informationfrom, other hardware modules. Accordingly, the described hardwaremodules may be regarded as being communicatively coupled. Where multiplesuch hardware modules exist contemporaneously, communications may beachieved through signal transmission (e.g., over appropriate circuitsand buses) that connects the hardware modules. In embodiments in whichmultiple hardware modules are configured or instantiated at differenttimes, communications between such hardware modules may be achieved, forexample, through the storage and retrieval of information in memorystructures to which the multiple hardware modules have access. Forexample, one hardware module may perform an operation and store theoutput of that operation in a memory device to which it iscommunicatively coupled. A further hardware module may then, at a latertime, access the memory device to retrieve and process the storedoutput. Hardware modules may also initiate communications with input oroutput devices, and can operate on a resource (e.g., a collection ofinformation).

The various operations of example methods described herein may beperformed, at least partially, by one or more processors that aretemporarily configured (e.g., by software) or permanently configured toperform the relevant operations. Whether temporarily or permanentlyconfigured, such processors may constitute processor-implemented modulesthat operate to perform one or more operations or functions. The modulesreferred to herein may, in some example embodiments, compriseprocessor-implemented modules.

Similarly, in some embodiments, the methods or routines described hereinmay be at least partially processor-implemented. For example, at leastsome of the operations of a method may be performed by one or moreprocessors or processor-implemented hardware modules. The performance ofcertain of the operations may be distributed among the one or moreprocessors, not only residing within a single machine, but deployedacross a number of machines. In some example embodiments, the one ormore processors or processor-implemented modules may be located in asingle geographic location (e.g., within a home environment, an officeenvironment, or a server farm). In other example embodiments, the one ormore processors or processor-implemented modules may be distributedacross a number of geographic locations.

Unless specifically stated otherwise, discussions herein using wordssuch as “processing,” “computing,” “calculating,” “determining,”“presenting,” “displaying,” or the like may refer to actions orprocesses of a machine (e.g., a computer) that manipulates or transformsdata represented as physical (e.g., electronic, magnetic, or optical)quantities within one or more memories (e.g., volatile memory,non-volatile memory, or a combination thereof), registers, or othermachine components that receive, store, transmit, or displayinformation.

As used herein any reference to “one embodiment” or “an embodiment”means that a particular element, feature, structure, or characteristicdescribed in connection with the embodiment is included in at least oneembodiment. The appearances of the phrase “in one embodiment” or “insome embodiments” in various places in the specification are notnecessarily all referring to the same embodiment or embodiments.

Some embodiments may be described using the terms “coupled,”“connected,” “communicatively connected,” or “communicatively coupled,”along with their derivatives. These terms may refer to a direct physicalconnection or to an indirect (physical or communication) connection. Forexample, some embodiments may be described using the term “coupled” toindicate that two or more elements are in direct physical or electricalcontact. The term “coupled,” however, may also mean that two or moreelements are not in direct contact with each other, but yet stillco-operate or interact with each other. Unless expressly stated orrequired by the context of their use, the embodiments are not limited todirect connection.

As used herein, the terms “comprises,” “comprising,” “includes,”“including,” “has,” “having” or any other variation thereof, areintended to cover a non-exclusive inclusion. For example, a process,method, article, or apparatus that comprises a list of elements is notnecessarily limited to only those elements but may include otherelements not expressly listed or inherent to such process, method,article, or apparatus. Further, unless expressly stated to the contrary,“or” refers to an inclusive or and not to an exclusive or. For example,a condition A or B is satisfied by any one of the following: A is true(or present) and B is false (or not present), A is false (or notpresent) and B is true (or present), and both A and B are true (orpresent).

In addition, use of the words “a” or “an” are employed to describeelements and components of the embodiments herein. This is done merelyfor convenience and to give a general sense of the description. Thisdescription, and the claims that follow, should be read to include oneor at least one, and the singular also includes the plural unless thecontext clearly indicates otherwise.

Upon reading this disclosure, those of skill in the art will appreciatestill additional alternative structural and functional designs foradjusting the streaming of content by a media player device based on auser's location, orientation, or attention relative to the media playerdevice. Thus, while particular embodiments and applications have beenillustrated and described, it is to be understood that the disclosedembodiments are not limited to the precise construction and componentsdisclosed herein. Various modifications, changes and variations, whichwill be apparent to those skilled in the art, may be made in thearrangement, operation and details of the method and apparatus disclosedherein without departing from the spirit and scope defined in theappended claims.

The particular features, structures, or characteristics of any specificembodiment may be combined in any suitable manner and in any suitablecombination with one or more other embodiments, including the use ofselected features without corresponding use of other features. Inaddition, many modifications may be made to adapt a particularapplication, situation or material to the essential scope and spirit ofthe present invention. It is to be understood that other variations andmodifications of the embodiments of the present invention described andillustrated herein are possible in light of the teachings herein and areto be considered part of the spirit and scope of the present invention.

Finally, the patent claims at the end of this patent application are notintended to be construed under 35 U.S.C. § 112(f), unless traditionalmeans-plus-function language is expressly recited, such as “means for”or “step for” language being explicitly recited in the claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method of adjusting streaming media based onuser attentiveness, comprising: streaming media content by a mediaplayer device; receiving, by the media player device, a signal from apersonal computing device associated with a user; determining, by themedia player device, an indication of attention of the user to the mediaplayer device based at least partially on one or more of: (i) a strengthof the signal from the personal computing device associated with theuser, or (ii) a direction from which the signal from the personalcomputing device associated with the user is received; and modifying, bythe media player device, one or more characteristics of the streaming ofthe media content based on the indication of the attention of the userassociated with the personal computing device.
 2. The method of claim 1,wherein the media content includes one or more of audio content or videocontent.
 3. The method of claim 1, wherein the signal from the personalcomputing device is a short-range signal.
 4. The method of claim 1,wherein determining the indication of the attention of the user to themedia player device based on the signal from the personal computingdevice associated with the user includes: determining a distance betweenthe personal computing device and the media player device based on thesignal from the personal computing device; and determining theindication of the attention of the user to the media player device basedon the distance between the personal computing device and the mediaplayer device.
 5. The method of claim 4, wherein determining theindication of the attention of the user to the media player device basedon the distance between the personal computing device and the mediaplayer device includes determining whether the distance between thepersonal computing device and the media player device includes exceeds athreshold distance.
 6. The method of claim 1, wherein determining theindication of the attention of the user to the media player device basedon the signal from the personal computing device associated with theuser includes: determining a location of the personal computing devicewith respect to the media player device based on the signal from thepersonal computing device; and determining the indication of theattention of the user to the media player device based on the locationof the personal computing device with respect to the media playerdevice.
 7. The method of claim 6, wherein determining the indication ofthe attention of the user to the media player device based on thelocation of the personal computing device with respect to the mediaplayer device includes determining an extent to which the personalcomputing device is in front of a display of the media player device,behind the display of the media player device, or adjacent to thedisplay of the media player device.
 8. The method of claim 6, whereindetermining the indication of the attention of the user to the mediaplayer device based on the location of the personal computing devicewith respect to the media player device includes determining an extentto which the personal computing device is above or below the mediaplayer device.
 9. The method of claim 6, wherein determining theindication of the attention of the user to the media player device basedon the location of the personal computing device with respect to themedia player device includes determining whether the personal computingdevice is in the same room as the media player device.
 10. The method ofclaim 1, wherein determining the indication of the attention of the userto the media player device based on the signal from the personalcomputing device associated with the user includes: determining anorientation of the personal computing device with respect to the mediaplayer device based on the signal from the personal computing device;and determining the indication of the attention of the user to the mediaplayer device based on the orientation of the personal computing devicewith respect to the media player device.
 11. The method of claim 10,wherein determining the indication of the attention of the user to themedia player device based on the orientation of the personal computingdevice with respect to the media player device includes determining anextent to which the head or body of the user is facing the media playerdevice based on the orientation of the personal computing device withrespect to the media player device.
 12. The method of claim 1, whereindetermining the indication of the attention of the user to the mediaplayer device based on the signal from the personal computing deviceassociated with the user includes: determining an indication of userengagement with one or more applications of the personal computingdevice; determining the indication of the attention of the user to themedia player device based on the indication of user engagement with oneor more applications of the personal computing device.
 13. The method ofclaim 1, wherein determining the indication of the attention of the userto the media player device based on the signal from the personalcomputing device associated with the user includes: determining anindication of motion of the personal computing device with respect tothe media player device based on the signal from the personal computingdevice; and determining the indication of the attention of the user tothe media player device based on the indication of the motion motion ofthe personal computing device with respect to the media player device.14. The method of claim 1, wherein modifying one or more characteristicsof the streaming of the media content based on the indication of theattention of the user associated with the personal computing deviceincludes: modifying a quality level of the streaming of the mediacontent based on the indication of the attention of the user associatedwith the personal computing device.
 15. The method of claim 1, whereinmodifying one or more characteristics of the streaming of the mediacontent based on the indication of the attention of the user associatedwith the personal computing device includes: switching from a combinedaudio and video stream to an audio-only stream based on the indicationof the attention of the user associated with the personal computingdevice.
 16. The method of claim 1, wherein modifying one or morecharacteristics of the streaming of the media content based on theindication of the attention of the user associated with the personalcomputing device includes: pausing the streaming of the media contentbased on the indication of the attention of the user associated with thepersonal computing device.
 17. The method of claim 1, wherein modifyingone or more characteristics of the streaming of the media content basedon the indication of the attention of the user associated with thepersonal computing device includes: rewinding the streaming of the mediacontent based on the indication of the attention of the user associatedwith the personal computing device.
 18. A media player device,comprising: one or more of an audio output or a video output; one ormore processors; and a non-transitory program memory communicativelycoupled to the one or more processors and storing executableinstructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, causethe processors to: stream media content via one or more of the audiooutput or the video output; receive a signal from a personal computingdevice associated with a user; determine an indication of the attentionof the user to the media player device based at least partially on oneor more of: (i) a strength of the signal from the personal computingdevice associated with the user, or (ii) a direction from which thesignal from the personal computing device associated with the user isreceived; and modify one or more characteristics of the streaming of themedia content based on the indication of the attention of the userassociated with the personal computing device.
 19. The media playerdevice of claim 18, further comprising a short-range communicationinterface, and wherein the signal from the personal computing device isa short-range signal.
 20. The media player device of claim 18, whereinthe instructions, when executed by the one or more processors, cause theprocessors to determine the indication of the attention of the user tothe media player device based on the signal from the personal computingdevice associated with the user by: determining a distance between thepersonal computing device and the media player device based on thesignal from the personal computing device; and determining theindication of the attention of the user to the media player device basedon the distance between the personal computing device and the mediaplayer device.